/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today, FIDE started the fourth round of Grand Prix men’s tournament. Armenian grandmasters Levon Aronian and Vladimir Hakobian will also participate in the competition. Opening ceremony of the tournament was held in the Musical Theatre of Nalchik. In his opening speech, President of FIDE Kirsan Ilyumzhinov noted that the tournament had a rating of 2725 points, which is the highest result recorded so far.

“The leading chess players who have arrived in the KBR capital are winners of the international tournaments held recently. I have the pleasure to say that Nalchik is one of the centers of international chess development. Last year we held here the championship of women chess players and this year, we are holding the Grand Prix tournament. If, before the start of last year's championship even the directorate of FIDE was searching for the place of FIDE in the maps, today the million-strong world of chess players know the capital of the Kabardino-Balkaria.

During the opening ceremony, umpire Vyacheslav Namurov held a draw of participants. As a result, Azeri chess player Shakhriar Mammadyarov and representative of Uzbekistan Roustam Kasimzhanov were selected as the pairs of Armenian grandmasters Levon Aronian and Vladimir Hakobian respectively.

The first round will be held today. ?he second round which is scheduled for April 17 will bring Levon Aronian and Vladimir Hakobian over the same chess board.

First round pairings:

Shakhriar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) –Levon Aronyan (Armenia)

Peter Leko (Hungary) – Gata Kamsky (USA)

Vladimir Hakobyan (Armenia) – Roustam Kasimzhanov (Uzbekistan)

Sergey Karyakin (Ukraine) – Pavel Elyanov (Ukraine)

Alexander Grischuk (Russia) – Boris Gelfand (Israel)

Yevgeni Alekseev (Russia) – Peter Svidler (Russia)

Vasily Ivanchuk (Ukraine) – Etienne Bakro (France)